Penelope

Meaning: (Weaver, Duck, With a Web Over her Face, Worker of the Loom, Mythology: Penelope, wife of Odysseus, fended off suitors by weaving during the day and unraveling at night a tapestry she said had to be completed before she would wed another husband. The name has come to signify a loyal, capable, and clever woman. The name is also possibly derived from the Greek name "penelops" for a kind of duck that was said to have rescued and nurtured Penelope when she was exposed to die as an infant. It has occasionally been used as an English given name since the 16th century.)

Origin: (Greek)

Pronunciation: (pen-NELL-a-pee, peh-NEHL-ə-pee)

Gender: Female

I didn't remember it was Odysseus wife until I started researching the name. I was thinking of this name the other day when watching Criminal Minds on T.V. The technical analyst to the team is named Penelope Garcia. Penelope Cruz is a real life bearer of this name that many will think of. I think the name is pretty and the meaning is nice. It has a long history so the name can be used in Historical Fiction novels quite well.